Chapman is a place that brings people together. On December 2nd I had the honor of attending an informal dinner that encouraged cross-cultural collaboration with a group of teachers from Ensenada, Mexico. While the event was meant to provide us with the opportunity to dialogue about potential educational projects and research with this group of educators, it was also an occasion that demonstrated Chapman’s commitment to move beyond its small community in Orange and branch out to places beyond our borders. I began to ponder this and realized that Chapman endeavors to provide a global perspective of education.

Doctors Barb and Ken Tye opened their home to promote this intercultural exchange. That is not a novel idea to either of them. Both have a rich history of promoting critical and thoughtful understanding of education in other countries. In my Comparative Education class, Dr. Barb Tye leads a group of geographically-challenged students through a deeper understanding of the educational system in other countries. To this end, we examine the socio-political influences on education. A heightened awareness of our own educational system is an inevitable byproduct.

I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Ken Tye, professor emeritus, in his own home. (Actually, I was able to chat with professors, fellow students, and our own Dean Cardinal!) Humbled by Ken’s own modesty, I was honored to ask him about the root of his passion for global education- a passion that led him to be formally acknowledged with the Distinguished Global Scholar award at the National Council for the Social Studies in 2009. He explained that his interest grew organically, and he admitted that, as a fourth-grade teacher at the start of his teaching career, his initial teaching practice did not model what he aspires for current-day educational practice. His was a journey. As experiences presented themselves, they allowed his interest to develop. As a result, his extensive travel has allowed him to understand education in ways that many of us do not. Perhaps this is what fueled an amazing project he endeavored to create that brings the world to our classrooms. The Global Ed Yellow Pages is a rich collection of resources that should be an ongoing reference point for all teachers. It includes a bounty of subject matter and regional resources that encourage cross-cultural educational opportunities and understanding.

The Global Ed Yellow Pages have been recently revitalized from the older web version and Dr. Ken Tye is working to update the extensive list of resources to include more valuable connections he has made through his work in global education. I encourage you to take a look at the Global Ed Yellow Pages and see what wonderful sites and resources you could introduce to your own classroom!

Through their own scholarship, our professors share their passion and commitment to global education. Dr. Ken Tye’s work is further complimented by the efforts of others at Chapman. The work of Dr. SooHoo with our New Zealand friends, travel opportunities to Spain and Puerto Rico organized by Drs. Colón-Muñiz and Barbara Tye, and ongoing collaboration with Dr. Shirley Steinberg to name a few. While these opportunities enrich our experiences, they also model good practices of collegiality and professional scholarship. But most important, they communicate the importance of seeing education as a global endeavor that reaches beyond our own classroom borders.

By Marisol Rexach, Ph.D. in Education Student